Colonel James Wood II Chapter conducted a commemoration to General Daniel Morgan

On 18 June 2022, the Colonel James Wood II Chapter conducted a commemoration to General Daniel Morgan. The event was held at his gravesite in Mt Hebron Cemetery to commemorate Morgan’s contributions to the victory in the American Revolutionary War, beginning with the Bee Line March in August 1775.

After the battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 Apr 1775, the Second Continental Congress authorized 10 rifle companies to be recruited from local militia ranks. Two of these were to be from Virginia. Virginia answered the call to aid the Continental Army in June 1775.

The Berkeley County Riflemen, which mustered under Captain Hugh Stephenson in Mecklenburg on 21 June and a second, mustered under the command of Daniel Morgan from Frederick County at Winchester on 22 June. Morgan was chosen by a unanimous vote by the Committee of Frederick County to form one of these companies and became its commander. He recruited 96 men in 10 days and assembled them at Winchester on 14 July. His rifle company of marksmen was nicknamed “Morgan’s Riflemen”.

The long rifles used were more accurate and had a longer range than other firearms at that time, but took much longer to load. The company raised by Stephenson had planned to meet Morgan’s company in Winchester but found them gone. Morgan marched his men 600 miles to Boston in 21 Days, arriving on 6 Aug. Stephenson’s unit marched from Morgan’s Spring, arriving in Cambridge after 24 days on 11 August.

These marches became known as the Bee Line March. Both companies covered 600 miles in a relatively short period of time. Daniel Morgan would go on to experience one of the most adventurous paths among Colonial officers. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Quebec on 31 December 1775 and paroled by the British in 1776. He returned to the Army to lead successful battles at Saratoga and the decisive victory at Cowpens in January 1781.

At the Cowpens, Morgan used tactics never before used in developing a double envelopment to encircle the British which resulted in the total destruction of one of the British elite units. The aftermath of the battle saw General Lord Cornwallis move his army to Yorktown and an eventual defeat at the hands of the colonial forces led by George Washington.

Colonel James Wood II Chapter primary and dual members. Kneeling l. to r. Ernie Coggins, Doug Hall, Sean Carrigan, Thomas “Chip” Daniel, Dale Corey, Mike St Jacques, Ken Bonner. Standing middle row Larry Johnson, Barry Schwoerer, Paul Christensen, Kelly Ford, Marc Robinson, John Petrie, Brett Osborn, Bill Schwetke and Dave Cook. Back row l. to r. Will Reynolds and Jim Cordes. (Photo courtesy of Thomas “Chip” Daniel.)

Participating for the Sons of the American Revolution were members of Colonel James Wood II (CJWII), Culpeper Minutemen (CMM), Fairfax Resolves (FR), General Daniel Morgan (GDM), George Mason (GM), George Washington (GW) and Sgt Maj John Champe (SJC) Chapters.

The Daughters of the American Revolution were represented by the Lanes Mill (LM) chapter. The ceremony was emceed by Dale Corey with chaplain duties presented by Rt Rev Larry Johnson.

Michael St Jacques of CJWII provided a presentation on the Bee Line March which was followed by a presentation of wreaths.

Ernie Coggins, 1st Vice President of the Virginia State Society presented greetings as well as a wreath for the State. John Petrie (CJWII), Bill Schwetke (CMM), Dave Cook (FR), Paul Parish (GDM), Ken Morris (GM), Richard Rankin (GW), and Ken Bonner (SJC) presented honors for the SAR chapters with Anita Bonner presenting for the DAR.

The color guard was a combined Virginia State guard. Brett Osborn commanded the Color Guard carrying the U.S., Virginia State, National Society SAR, and 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War flags. Ken Bonner led the Honor Guard carrying the various chapter flags. Marc Robinson was the commander of the sentinel squad.

A 15-man, three-round, musket salute to honor Daniel Morgan. Additional members of the color guard included Sean Carrigan, Paul Christensen, Jim Cordes, Pete Davenport, Thomas “Chip” Daniel, Kelly Ford, Doug Hall, John Petrie, Will Reynolds, Barry Schwoerer, and Mike St Jacques (all CJWII primary or dual members.)

The Virginia State Musket Squad firing a musket salute. (Photo courtesy of Tom Roth.)

The Virginia State Musket Squad conducts a safety check. (Photo courtesy of Thomas “Chip” Daniel.)